"How many is this?"
"Three. Even after stopping the machine once, I'm not so bad that I can't count how many fingers are actually in front of me."
"And what is this?"
"A picture of a military armored doll. The model is supposed to be a Cyclops."
"And this one?"
"An ELID infected."
"This one."
"A former Griffin Tactical doll, code name AR15."
"This."
"Statesec Agent Angelia."
Quiet.
Watching Renault, who was sitting right next to the workbench, put the cell phone in his hand down and turn his head to look at the data readings on the computer display, RPK16 pursed her lips, unsure of what exactly he was trying to do.
"What was the first thing that came to your mind after seeing those targets?"
"Not much of a thought."
Hearing RPK16's words, Renault raised his head and narrowed his eyes, measuring RPK16.
Facing Renault's amused gaze, RPK16's heart stumbled for no reason and she was about to say something...
"RPK16? RPK16!"
AK12's crisp shout directly ripped RPK16 out of her memories. Turning her head to look, she saw several people, including AK12, all staring at her with unblinking eyes.
"What's wrong?" She was no longer in Renault's slightly cluttered workspace. In addition to Angelia and AK12, there were several Statesec agents not far away from her, confronting some guys in uniforms.
While her mind wandered, several of them had stepped out of the middle of Universal Anything's airport, with the entrance not far behind them. In addition to those who were confronting each other, there were also quite a few reporters blocking the entrance, holding recording pens, cameras, and microphones, constantly questioning the Universal Anything representative who was standing at the entrance to stop these guys.
"What's wrong? That's what we want to know. What's wrong with you? Walking all the way over here like an idiot, if it wasn't for AK15 holding you back, you would have crashed right through the middle of the blockade line!" Angelia also looked at RPK16 suspiciously. Although RPK16 had been present these past few days, she mostly spent her time reading a book or hanging out in Renault's workshop.
Angelia had visited several times, only to find RPK16 sitting there, watching Renault work on his projects.
Could it be that RPK16 had developed a teenage crush?
This seemed unlikely. RPK16 was meeting Renault for the first time, and she wandered around his ship without any self-consciousness.
This guy is already so unruly, how can Renault still have a good face towards her?
Angelia didn't believe it. Except for the rare occasions when he smiled while receiving money, Renault usually had no expression at all.
Even Helianthus, with her paralyzed face, wasn't as stoic as Renault.
Moreover, the tactical dolls created by the Statesec were all not easy to deal with. Compared to Griffin's dolls, all of them were problematic, both in personality and abilities.
RPK16 and AK15 hadn't been in Angelia's squad for long, so she didn't know much about them, especially RPK16. AK15, on the other hand, was quite straightforward—always stern and cold but actually quite talkative, provided the person speaking had command authority.
To be honest, AK15's appearance somewhat resembled those Cyclops in the military, but AK15's autonomous capabilities were far superior. If dolls like AK15 proved effective in combat, many more of her type would likely be created.
The only issue was that AK15 used too many rare materials, making the cost a significant problem.
While mass production might be problematic, making small batches for special operations was certainly feasible.
"Well, I probably just recalled the book I read over the past few days. The contents were very interesting." Facing Angelia's probing gaze, RPK16 resumed her usual smiling expression, narrowing her eyes as she responded.
"Book?" Angelia scratched her cheek in confusion. She hadn't paid attention to the book RPK16 had been reading these days.
"Can all of this wait until we get back to the safe house? It seems like things are about to escalate over there, and those Universal Anything dolls are struggling to stop the reporters," AK12 pointed towards the entrance. The reporters, both doll and human, had crowded the blockade line and were tumbling to the ground. The Universal Anything security dolls were already shaky.
The situation wasn't optimistic for Statesec officers either. Those confronting them were even more agitated after seeing reporters sneaking in, and they had started to tussle with the officers.
They weren't blind; they had noticed the airship's cargo door closing. The airship, which had been open since landing, now closed, indicating it was about to leave.
They didn't know or care where it would go, but if they couldn't get a single picture before it flew away, they were likely to get fired.
"Really, at times like this, it's always something. Let's go and check it out. Renault better hurry, or else even if he takes off, he'll still have a lot of trouble," Angelia said.
Hearing Angelia's words, AK12 had nothing to say except to shrug her shoulders. After all, if something happened, they would be the ones in trouble.
RPK16, of course, said nothing and followed along with a smile, though her eyes glanced at the guys in uniform without realizing it.